There are amazing, devoted, wonderful, deliberate mothers out there, and each week we’ll spotlight one of them here at The Power of Moms. Do you know a mom who deserves a little time in the spotlight? Email rachelle.price (at) powerofmoms.com. We can’t wait to meet her.
Introducing Charelle Olsen
How many children do you have and what are their ages?
We have three beautiful children: a daughter, age 7, and boys ages 5 and 3. We are thrilled to be expecting a baby girl in the spring.
What have been your favorite parts of motherhood?
Pregnancy and childbirth, meeting my children for the very first time at the moment of their births, feeling their dependency on me, discovering the world through their eyes, and seeing them love each other and become true friends.
What have been the hardest parts of motherhood for you?
The unpredictability of motherhood! Changing plans or altering expectations to suit reality is a challenge indeed. The constant demands and the need for constant patience are also challenging. However, all these things provide so much opportunity for growth and development. That’s the beauty of the mothering experience.
What has surprised you about motherhood?
How much I can love and give. How much fun I can have as a mom. And the great capacity children have to learn and be taught.
What have you learned from motherhood? Please share a specific story or incident that really taught you something.
I feel I have learned more about the capacity of the human heart to love and serve, and it’s through all the serving we do for our children that our love deepens. Of course, I am still learning. I have learned a lot through the wisdom and experiences of other mothers.
What coping strategies do you have for getting through hard times and hard days?
I try to put things into perspective. I see now how quickly time passes and how these stages don’t last forever. Children change and grow and challenges come and go. I try to remind myself of this during difficult times.
I believe that gratitude is the key to happiness. I try to not take anything for granted and be grateful for all my rich blessings.
When everyone is having a tough day I like to gather the children and sit down on the couch with a pile of story books and a cozy quilt and read together. It calms us all down, changes the mood and recharges us.
I also make a point of getting outside every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes in bad weather. The fresh air and change of scenery is always very refreshing.
What would you say are the most important things a mom can do? What would you say are the most important things for a mom NOT to do?
Mothers need to take care of themselves. Sleep, healthful food, water and exercise are essential for me.
I believe it’s also important to have talents or interests to develop as a mom while still maintaining balance. It shows a good example to the children and helps mom feel more balanced also.
Comparing oneself to others is a great source of unhappiness and must be avoided. Every mother has different children, energy levels, budgets, priorities, beliefs and support systems. We simply must not compare.
What are some unique and interesting aspects of your family or your approach to mothering?
We work hard to teach our children to be grateful and considerate of others. We want to instill in them so many things: love of God, family and service, self confidence, appreciation for nature, culture, reading, art, music, and hard work, among other things. We aim for balance and refuse to over-schedule them.
I take mothering very seriously. I regularly reflect on what is and is not working and make goals and lists of things to do to improve and help our children grow and develop and cultivate their interests.
I remember a lot about what it was like to be a child and try to factor that into my mothering. For example, on days when there is no school or on snow days, I make an effort to plan fun activities so that these days are memorable ones for the children. I don’t do anything over the top but just something simple like a play date and potluck lunch with friends and their moms or a craft and cooking activity. It gives the children something to look forward to and remember that those days at home were fun. I want our home to be a fun place and their sanctuary from the world.
Charelle, it’s so fun to read a little more about you! We have loved having you as a part of The Power of Moms!